crockpot chicken fajitas with red and green bell peppers

Before I tell you about the dinner I made tonight, I have to share with you that I'm laying here on my couch watching Matilda for probably the 100th time {because I'm 12 years old at heart} and my favorite part is happening right now.

You know, the part where Bruce Bogtrotter has to eat the entire chocolate cake?

{excuse the subtitles...I couldn't find a better video!}

I don't know why, but I've always loved that scene.

Maybe it's because they make the cake look so darn delicious.

Or because they all look so genuinely thrilled when he finishes it.

Who knows.

Regardless, it's awesome.

I love children's movies.

Anyway, I'm proud to announce that yesterday I went grocery shopping and bought ingredients to make actual meals.

Hooray!

And what better way to kick off cooking in my brand new kitchen than with my beloved crockpot.

It's a miracle this thing still works considering how often I use it.

I haven't made crockpot fajitas in a hot minute, and I'm not exactly sure why because they turn out amazing every single time.

They're just so easy!

I mean honestly, who doesn't want to eat fajitas that only take about five minutes to prep?

I came home from work for lunch today, threw everything in the crockpot, and they were done when I got home.

Love.

Things you'll need:

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 1/2-2 cups organic low sodium chicken broth

1 packet McCormick's fajita seasoning {feel free to mix up your own set of spices instead - I went the easy route to save time today!}

3 regular or thin sliced chicken breast {I chose thin sliced to save cals!}

olive oil cooking spray

toppings of choice

Slice up two bell peppers of your choice.

I chose red and green, but yellow or orange would also work!

Also, feel free to roughly chop some onion too.

My picky boyfriend always protests against the onion, so this time I decided to be nice and leave it out.

Lightly coat inside of crockpot with cooking spray.

Add bell pepper slices {and onion}.

Top with chicken breast.

The best part about this is that if you're crunched for time, you can totally use frozen chicken.

I pulled these directly out of the freezer!

Add chicken broth {enough to cover all the veggies on the bottom of the crockpot}.

Sprinkle in fajita seasoning, cover, and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.

Before serving, shred chicken and cover again for about 20 minutes.

Serve with freshly grated pepper jack cheese, chopped lettuce, and salsa!

We ate these with spicy jalapeno refried beans and organic corn chips.

So delish.

According to MyFitnessPal:

Serving size: 1/2 cup of filling

Cals/serving: 55

Fat/serving: 0.9g

Carbs/serving: 3.1g

Protein/serving: 10.2g

Grab yourself some low carb tortillas, and you're all set for a dinner that's undoubtedly more calorie-friendly than going out to a Mexican restaurant!

How was your weekend?

I watched my sweet friend, Ashley, join the ranks of us UGA alumni, and then we celebrated the whole weekend with copious amounts of wine and BBQ.

Welcome to the club, Ash!

It's good to be a dawg.

My former roomies {Andrea and Ashley} and I at graduation.
Apartment 1632 are now all officially alumni!

It was also warm enough to lay out in an actual bikini and get sunburnt!

It hurts so good, I tell ya.

Pup joined me for awhile after being forced to swim in the pool with Joe.

He was such a trooper!

Tell me about your weekend.

And about what you're making for dinner this week!

my favorite easy breakfast + our new home!

Welp, the big move is over.

Hallelujah!

It was a long weekend of packing, unpacking, and dealing with the horrible weather, but we made it.
And I think I'm speaking for both of us when I say it's a relief.

The old apartment was feeling super cramped lately and, quite frankly, like a total mess.
So it feels really good to be in a new space, organize all of our things, and start fresh!

Living area with our brand new couch and a big shout out to Atlanta on the wall.

View of the dining area from the couch.

And the most important place, in my opinion at least.

Check out those beautiful countertops!

Obviously I unpacked the important stuff first.

I'll have more pictures to share soon, as we begin piecing together our bedroom.

But for now, I'll leave you with the first meal I made in my new kitchen {and quite possibly the most simple recipe I'll ever share on here}.

Joe's traveling for work this week, so the next few days will be filled with simple lunches and dinners to tide me over until he's back and the serious meal planning can begin.

I realize Egg in a Basket is not the most exciting thing you can read about, but I swear you'd be surprised at just how many people don't know what it is.

And it's for you poor souls that I have decided to share the wealth.

Egg in a Basket has been one of my favorite go-to breakfast meals for as long as I can remember.

It's the best way to eat eggs and toast, if you ask me.

Things you'll need:

2 slices bread of your choice {I use Healthfull Oroweat Nutty Grain Bread at 80 cals per slice}

1 tbsp light butter

2 large eggs

salt and pepper, to taste

drizzle of Sriracha {optional}

Directions:

Cut a hole in the middle of both slices of bread.  I use a shot glass to cut my holes because I think it makes the hole just the right size.

Lightly butter both sides of bread. In the meantime, heat a skillet to medium heat and spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray.

Carefully place bread on skillet for a few seconds, just long enough to melt the butter. Flip bread and melt butter on opposite side.

Crack an egg in each hole, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook for 3-5 minutes, until egg is just firm enough to flip with a spatula.

Flip, sprinkle with more salt and pepper, and cook until egg is the way you like it. I do mine for about two more minutes, until the egg is firm enough to move but still runny in the middle.

Drizzle with hot sauce of choice, and enjoy!

*Note: Feel free to trash this up a bit and sprinkle other things besides salt and pepper into your egg! I've tried shredded cheese and crushed red pepper flakes, and both have been delish.

With this particular recipe, you're looking at a tad bit over 300 calories {150 cals per slice}.

Not too shabby, if you ask me!

Did ya'll do anything fun this weekend?

I watched Django Unchained and absolutely loved it.

Now I get why it was nominated for so many awards during award season!

However, I did not get to properly celebrate Cinco de Mayo due to all of the moving.

So I'm refusing to acknowledge it has passed until I have at least one glass of sangria.

Fair?

foodie penpal reveal day!

Okay, so I'm a little late.

To my defense, I finally started packing and quickly became overwhelmed with the ridiculous amount of pots/pans/kitchen items in general that I have.

Literally two hours into the kitchen, and I'm still not done.

Where did all of this stuff come from?!

Before I get back to packing for the rest of my life, though, I wanted to stop in and share with you what a great package I got this month from my fellow foodie, Sarah.

Seriously, it was amazing!

• Coconut Almond KIND bar - Sarah must have read my mind, because I have been searching everywhere for this particular granola bar! They gave them out for free after the Color Run, and I was instantly in love. Perfect timing!

• Organic chewy granola bar - The square bar in the front was from an organic outpost shop and was super tasty!

• Dark Chocolate Almonds from TJ's - I make the trek over to Trader Joe's sometimes specifically for these...we love them, and usually Joe eats them all before I even get a handful {I wish I was kidding, ha}.

• Tazo tea assortment - I can't wait to sit outside on our new balcony with some tea while Joe grills me dinner for once!

• TJ's Breakfast Trek Mix - I absolutely love these. Seriously, these have been added to my list of favorites from Trader Joe's.  Pre-portioned breakfast mix consisting of granola, dried cranberries, almonds, and greek yogurt chips?  Please.  Easiest breakfast ever.

• TJ's Cookie Butter - I also just recently discovered this {and am in love with it}, so I donated this jar to my dear coworker, Tiffany.  She may or may not dip things into it periodically throughout the day, including her finger.  That's why she's my friend.

• A jar of "Angel Dust" from Chicago - Sarah's mom bought some spice from a restaurant called Heaven on Seven in Chicago, and since they love it so much she sent me a good sized jar of it. I'm saving it for Memorial Day when we cook out!

• As a bonus, there was also a spice catalog included with all kinds of spices and recipes inside!

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Are you interested in joining us for Foodie Penpals next month? Here are some more details:

• On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
• You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
• The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
• You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
• Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
• Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for April, please CLICK HERE  to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by April 4th as pairings will be emailed on April 5th!

*If you’re from Europe, please CLICK HERE to signup.

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Thank you, Sarah, for my amazing package this month!

roasted spaghetti squash with homemade marinara sauce

Let me start by apologizing for the lack of posts recently.

Things have been so crazy over here!

Between cleaning, shopping, preparing for the big move {this Friday!!}, and being really busy at work, it's been tough for me to find the time to share what I've been cooking up lately.
But I haven't forgotten about you.
And I do have a few things up my sleeve that I've been saving for when the time came.

Like our experiment with spaghetti squash.

Which, by the way, I'm considering a success because Joe doesn't like squash and he ate a whole bowl of it!
I was one proud lady that night.

Way to be a good sport, my love.

Things you'll need:

1 medium sized spaghetti squash

dash of sea salt

dash of black pepper

For sauce:

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 large cans of whole, peeled, organic tomatoes

2-3 tbsp oregano

seal salt, to taste

black pepper, to taste

splash of almond milk {or any other milk/cream you prefer}

1/8 cup reduced fat Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice squash in half lengthwise.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake {rind side up} for 30-40 minutes, until tender.

Run a fork through the flesh of the squash from one end to the other, separating it into strands.

{like spaghetti!}

For sauce:

Saute garlic in olive oil until slightly golden brown.

Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano.

Using a hand blender, puree tomatoes.

Be sure not to blend too long! You want them to be a little chunky for some texture.

Add Parmesan cheese, a splash of milk, and simmer as long as you like.

I simmered for about 20 minutes.

And there you have it.

A healthy "spaghetti" dinner in 30 minutes!

According to MyFitnessPal:

Serving size: 1 cup spaghetti squash

Cals/serving: 42

Fat/serving: 0.4g

Protein/serving: 1g

Carbs/serving: 10g

Serving size: 1/2 cup sauce

Cals/serving: 28

Fat/serving: 0.1g

Protein/serving: 1.1g

Carbs/serving: 6.3g

The sauce recipe makes a pretty good bit.

We jarred ours up and used it to make pizzas last weekend, which turned out delicious!

I also gave a jar away.

Who doesn't like getting homemade sauce as a gift?

That's right.

No one.

Also, for those of you who are intimated by the spaghetti squash...

So was I.

But I promise it was surprisingly easy to make and was actually really tasty!

I had my reservations about it, and I really was pleasantly surprised.

And to save 150-180 calories per cup by making the switch from regular noodles?

No question.

Other things we've been up to...

Finally got those succulents at Ikea I had my eye on.

Celebrated a wedding at one of the most beautiful venues.

Lots of fun lunch dates with Joe, which led to the discovery of the best cheesecake/mousse dessert ever.

Did I mention it was only $5?

$5 people!

Visited Joe's parents.  AJ followed around Joe's dad the entire weekend, of course.

Teaching pup how to be more hip.

Now that we're all caught up, you can expect to see more of me around these parts.

Tune in tomorrow for the big Foodie Penpals reveal for this month!

Happy Monday friends!

fresh strawberry lime margaritas + a bonus recipe!

Last weekend was what I like to call "The Weekend of the Strawberry."

I'm calling it that and not "The Weekend of the Strawberry Margarita" because, in my defense, I have been making a ton of salads with strawberries too.

You know, to balance out the copious amount of margs.

Remember back when I said I was going to try these?

Well, I finally got around to it.

Only took two months.

And now I wish I did it sooner because oh my gosh.

The glory.

recipe adapted via

Things you'll need:

{recipe for a pitcher}

1 cup silver Tequila

1/2 cup Triple Sec {optional}

1 cup strawberry simple syrup {recipe below}

3/4 cup lime juice

lime and strawberries for garnish

salt/sugar for rim

Strawberry simple syrup:

Bring 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Let cool completely.

Combine 1-1.5 cups sliced strawberries with simple syrup in a blender, and blend until combined.

Directions:

Combine tequila, triple sec, strawberry simple syrup, and lime juice in blender and pulse three or four times to combine.

*Optional: For frozen margaritas, add 1-2 cups of ice and blend until it's the consistency you like.

{We tried them on the rocks and frozen...obviously both are amazing.}

Run a lime wedge along the rim of your glass and dip in salt, sugar, or salt/sugar mixture.

I didn't have actual limes so I wet the rim with margarita, which turned my sugar a nice shade of pink.

Add a couple sliced strawberries and a lime wedge for garnish, and enjoy!

This was the perfect addition to girls' night in Athens last weekend.

I mean is there really anything better than homemade cocktails and vampire movie night?

Obviously the answer is no.

Hope you're all having a great week so far!

We're almost to the weekend already, can you believe it?!

Oh, and if you're wishing I shared something non-boozy today, then you're in luck.

I'm over at Fitness & Feta today sharing a recipe for my No-Bake Dessert Balls!

If you have a sweet tooth but want to be calorie conscious, these little buddies are for you.

{84 cals each!}

Happy Thursday!

friday things + DIY lip scrub

TGIF!
TGIF!
TGIF!

Is three times enough to say that?

I am super excited about this weekend.
Particularly because it starts at 5:00 today with an overnight trip to Athens!

I don't think I'll ever stop getting that giddy feeling when I make trips to Athens.
Home away from home.

The trip came about because I have a lingerie shower to go to tomorrow for my dear friend, Steph, who's wedding I'm in this June.
So tonight, Ashley, Steph, and I are going to do what any girls in their mid-20s would do on a Friday night.
Make margaritas and watch Breaking Dawn.

Duh.

This week I honestly didn't cook too much...mostly out of laziness, I suppose.
However, I did make my first actual shopping trip to Whole Foods and got some fun stuff to experiment with next week!
One of which is spaghetti squash, which I am totally pumped about trying and Joe is...let's say...less than thrilled about.
I'm determined to get him on board though.
Stay tuned.

Other things I've been up to...

Playing with my new Mason jars and juicing up a storm.

Pictured above: an apple, carrot, celery concoction.

In the last two weeks I've had approximately seven hazlenut macchiatos.

#cantstopwontstop

Wrote my first guest post for a fellow blogger!

You will see the recipe for these babies coming soon over at Fitness & Feta.

Don't worry, I'll be sure to let you know what day so you can check them out!

And lastly, I made a lip scrub that I've fallen in love with so much that I decided it had to be shared.

Why people buy $20 lip scrubs when you can make one yourself with things already in your kitchen is beyond me.

Things you'll need:

1 small glass container, like these 

2 tsp honey

1 tsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp lemon juice

sugar

Directions:

Add honey to jar and heat in microwave for 5-7 seconds.

Add coconut oil {stir until melted if you use the solid kind like I did}.

Add lemon juice.

Slowly at sugar a few tablespoons at a time until you get the consistency you want.

You want it to be like a body scrub would be...not liquidy, but coarse and easy to spread.

Don't worry about messing up though, because you can always add more liquid or more sugar to compensate!

To use:

Put a little on your finger and rub on lips for 20-30 seconds in a circular motion to exfoliate.

Rinse with warm water.

Apply chapstick or lip balm.

I've done this twice a day {when I wake up and before I go to bed} all week, and my lips 100% stopped peeling after day two.

It's amazing!

So get to scrubbing, lovelies.

And enjoy the beautiful weekend that's ahead!

pork medallions with sweet and spicy sauce

I swear I had every intention of posting this recipe on Friday, but somehow time got away from me.

If you live anywhere near Atlanta, you know time flew by this weekend because there were approximately one million things going on.
Enter Final Four festivities, free concerts at Centennial, multiple Braves games, G-day, and {my personal fave} the Color Run!

Granted we only participated one of the fun things I listed, but time still went by crazy quick because we were out enjoying the beautiful weather and watching a ridiculous amount of sports with friends.

I really wanted to throw a trip to Ikea into that list of activities, but it just wasn't happening with the outrageous amount of traffic everywhere.
I am determined to pick up some succulents for our new apartment soon, though.

via

Yeah, we're not moving for a month.
Whatever.
I'm impatient.

Let's get to the food.

These pork medallions were an idea that was inspired by Clean Eating mag and turned out totally amazing.
Especially considering I dressed them in a sauce totally different from anything I've ever made before.

Needless to say, I was nervous.
If there's anything I know my man loves, it's meat and potatoes.
So pouring an experimental sauce all over his meat before he even had a chance to taste it was quite terrifying.

It went swimmingly though, thank goodness!

Things you'll need:

1 pork loin, sliced into 12 medallions

sea salt

black pepper

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce (or 1/2 cup apple butter)

dash of cinnamon

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp Sriracha {optional}

1 tbsp ginger, minced

1 tsp honey

Let's talk about the sauce really quick.

First off, the original recipe calls for apple butter.

However, I didn't have that, so I mixed unsweetened applesauce with a pinch of cinnamon and microwaved it for 2 minutes to create my own apple butter substitute.

After that, I mixed my faux-apple butter with ginger, soy sauce, lemon juice, Sriracha, and honey.

Bring to a boil on medium heat, then cover and simmer on low for 4-5 minutes.

Be sure to taste it!

If it's not sweet enough, add a tad more honey.

If it's too sweet, add a tad more soy sauce or Sriracha.

You get the point.

Trim your tenderloin as needed and slice your medallions.

Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in skillet on medium-high heat, and add medallions.

Cook on each side for 5-6 minutes, until cooked thoroughly.

I did six medallions at a time for six minutes on each side, and they turned out beautifully.

Thoroughly cooked and not tough whatsoever.

Drizzle with sauce and serve with your favorite side!

These would be great with asparagus or a pretty spring salad.

I served them with my spicy roasted red potatoes because we've had a 10 pound bag sitting on our counter for a week now begging to be used.

According to MyFitnessPal:

Serving size: 3 medallions

Cals/serving: 120

Carbs/serving: 6g

Fat/serving: 15g

Protein/serving: 57g

Also, FYI, the entire sauce recipe is only 112 calories.

For the entire pot.

So per serving it's anywhere between 5-10 calories.

Not bad for a sauce, if I do say so myself.

What did you guys do this weekend?

Anything exciting?

I know I'm not alone when I say I absolutely hate Mondays.

But at least it's a pretty one!